IMO NOTE : For obvious reasons, no one in their "right mind" wanted to be quoted for this story. Suffice it say, that the data will support the long reach of the IMO among industry insiders both big and small and in very large numbers, the consensus is mutual.

April 14, 2011

On the heels of a very successful first month and intensive outreach to the Global Mango Industry, the IMO is astounded by events in the USA market place.

As the title of this article supports, mango industry relations with the retailer sector have never been lower.

Sure on an individual basis every marketer has a wonderful relationship with their customers.

But on a general basis, the mango industry has a very poor opinion of the role and relationship with the retailer sector.

The author can already hear the industry jumping up and down in denial.

Diana Containerships Acquires Three Panamax Container Vessels Thursday, April 14, 2011, 9:31 AM ATHENS, GREECE, April 14, 2011 – Diana Containerships Inc. (NASDAQ: DCIX), a global shipping company specializing in the transportation of containers, today announced that it has signed three Memoranda of Agreement (one with Maersk Line UK Ltd., and two with A.P. Moller Singapore Pte. Ltd.) for the purchase of three Panamax container vessels, MV “Maersk Madrid”, MV “Maersk Malacca”, and MV “Maersk Merlion”.

The MV “Maersk Madrid” is a 1989-built vessel of 4,206 TEU capacity. The purchase price for the MV “Maersk Madrid” is U.S.$22.5 million. The MV “Maersk Malacca” and MV “Maersk Merlion” are both 1990-built vessels of 4,714 TEU capacity each. The purchase price for the MV “Maersk Malacca” and MV “Maersk Merlion” is U.S.$24 million each. The expected dates of delivery from their previous owners to the Company for all three vessels are between May 20, 2011, and June 20, 2011.

Chandigarh, Apr 14 (PTI) The Haryana government today said it will expand the base of Indo-Israel cooperation and import those varieties of citrus fruits from the country that are suitable for the state and also boost stagnant yield of mango fruit with the help of Israeli experts.

Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who was accompanied by Israeli experts, visited orchards of citrus fruits, mango and olive in Israel today, a state government release said here.

The Chief Minister, who is currently on a visit to Israel, visited citrus orchard at Kibbutz Ramat in the country along with Auerbach Yossef, a citrus expert and was impressed to see the high yielding varieties, the release said.

India's much-loved Alphonso mango hit by poor weatherIndia has more than 1,000 varieties of mango Continue reading the main storyRelated StoriesMango farmers angry at dump planDelhi festival celebrates Indian mango A cold winter and unseasonable rains have led to a severe shortage of much-loved Alphonso mangoes in the Indian city of Mumbai (Bombay). The price of the sweet-tasting fruit, used in religious rituals and in various drinks, has doubled from 2010. Boxes of a dozen are now selling for as much 2,500 rupees ($56). The Maharashtra State Agricultural Marketing Board said that production had dropped by around 30% of the normal yield. It says that the export of Alphonsos had been adversely affected. Experts say that the reason for the decline in output is because areas in the Konkan region where the Alphonso is grown have been hit by a harsh winter. "This is a coastal area and the temperature hardly drops below 17 or 18C," said Dr Subhash Chavan, a fruit research expert. &quot…

Antigua St John's - The 6th annual Antigua Mango Festival at the Christian Valley Agricultural Station was launched Wednesday at the Heritage Quay pavilion before a gathering that included tourists and locals. The joint tourism/agricultural event is slated to take place from August 13-14, and will showcase the versatility of mangoes and the Antigua Black pineapples during the height of the mango season.

Agriculture Minister Hilson Baptiste said the festival is gaining interest around the Caribbean, with at least one island already plotting a similar event.

2011 is poised to be a “better” year, according to Tourism Minister John Maginley, who said it is time for the festival to be promoted on the international stage, and charged the Tourism Authority with this task. Mango fest launvhed

“We have to now promote and market this event… When the public sees what we have put together, people would be very pleased,” the minister said.

Which way will container freight rates go? Carriers at crossroads, says Drewry Monday, March 14, 2011 New Drewry special report examines drivers of container freight rates, provides five year forecasts of major east-west trades and offers suggestions for carriers and shippers on how to smooth pricing volatility.

London, UK, 14th March 2011 – Container freight rates go up and then they go down - that’s just the way things are. This almost pathological acceptance that things cannot and will not change is a symptom of a deficiency within container shipping’s DNA that prevents it from being able to break the boom and bust.

What makes freight rates tick, why investors consider the industry a risky bet and why predicting carrier profitability from one year to the next is almost impossible, are all carefully analysed in Unmasking Freight Rates, a new special report from Drewry Maritime Research.

Source : Savannah Now By Mary Carr Mayle Steamship giant Maersk has added the Port of Savannah to its newest all-water service, Spondylus, Georgia Ports executive director Curtis Foltz announced today. Named for the seashell that once was used as currency for trade by Andeans in Ecuador, the new service will call on Savannah weekly and provide a market for U.S. exports to Ecuador and Peru. “We appreciate Maersk’s confidence in our ability to handle its container volume now and in the future,” said Foltz. “The Port of Savannah offers a logistically friendly location with two on-terminal rail providers and immediate access to two interstate highways, which helps us attract additional cargo.” The first Spondylus vessel called on Garden City Terminal last week.
The service deploys four vessels with 1,700-TEU capacity and is expected to bring about 22,000 TEUs — or 20-foot equivalent units — annually through Savannah. The port rotation includes: Savannah, Miami, Manzanillo and Balboa in Panama, …

Maersk starts in USA Savannah port service from Ecuador and PeruThe Port of Savannah, Georgia was built as a stopping point on a new Maersk Line from the west coast of South America to the Atlantic coast of the U.S.

The route, which starts in Ecuador and then calls on Peru before heading North bound to the USA east coast, began on the 23rd of February, bringing fruit, vegetables, lumber, plywood and other products to the port of Georgia.

The weekly service is to bring each year 22,000( 20-foot equivalent units) (TEUs) to the Port of Savannah.